My Baby Cousin Got Hitched

a little over a month ago i had the privledge of being my baby (she's 7 months younger) cousin's maid of honor.  and, by default her wedding planner.  my cousin and her fiance were a little clueless about weddings but i helped them out.  here are some of the projects i helped with and or details from the wedding that i just loved.

my mom, or the "aunt of honor" as she named herself, gave my cousin this ring that my aunt had given her years before.  i suggested tying it to her bouquet as a subtle reminder that even though she wasn't physically present she was there in spirit.

my cousin is a tall model-esque bride is she not?  at one point in our lives i was taller! i swear!

 my uncle, the father of the bride, has had multiple sclerosis for over 40 years.  i asked him to dance with us and he came out on the dance floor wheel chair and all to party with the best of us!  it was a great moment.

to help guests know they were in the right place my cousin and i bought chalkboard style poster boards and my brother used chalk markers to create personalized signs.

these place cards were the bane of my existence for a night or two.  in june my cousin graduated from veterinary school so she wanted to have tables named after animals instead of using numbers.  We put a sillhouette on each place card.  each animal started with a different letter and they were quasi alphabetical in the dining room to help people find their tables.

to identify the tables we printed the name of the animal and the silhouette on a piece of vellum, used doubled sided tape and created tubes.  each tube was then placed over an electronic votive.  i was obviously at the bear table.

we fed each other some delicious berries in chocolate sauce from the cheesecake bar. once the wedding really got going it was one of the only times we had just the two of us.  

i realized i almost finished the post with no pictures of the groom.  oops.  here is my new cousin in law and my cousin enjoying their first dance.

that was the wedding in a nutshell.  questions about anything i posted, just ask!

*all pictures personal*

DIY: Bridal Shower Favors

for my cousin's kitchen themed shower i wanted to have favors that were kitchen related but also useful.  i really hate getting things that i can't use at showers.  so i decided to make jar cookies!  after a few google searches i found these super cute cookies on Bakerella's website.  i'm allergic to tree nuts so i didn't add the pecans but other than that i followed her directions.

 on each jar i placed a square of white fabric and tied a white ribbon around to secure.  before tying the ribbon into a bow i added a small directions card i printed on my computer and a moo card with photo sharing instructions.  each of those paper elements was hole-punched with a heart shape for a small but cute detail.

i decided to be a little anal, and instead of having all the m&m colors i wanted them separated into two color combos.  so i hand separated two five pound bags of m&ms into colors and then made up several different combinations.  i invited guests to pick colors that spoke to them.  maybe brown and orange for a browns fan or what have you.

bakerella made hers with pink m&ms that were in support of breast cancer research.  around the holidays you can find other colors which might make great gifts/hostess presents!

overall i was very pleased with how this project came out!

sorry i don't have a cost break down- but we did buy a lot of the baking ingredients in bulk at costco.  i can say the jars were just over a dollar each.  if you can find the wide mouth jars use those, they're easier to fill with the ingredients.

what is the best or the worst favor you've ever been given?

What do STDs have to do with My Wedding!?

so you're engaged, and you start googling "wedding planning" and suddenly you see a post about DIY: STDs.  wait, what?  why is a website about venereal diseases popping up in your search?  fear not, it's not what you think.  not at all.

the world of wedding planning is filled with its own jargon and acronyms that can take awhile to get used to.  so here's a little cheat sheet for all of you newbies.

STD:  Save The Date
DIY:  Do It Yourself
MOH: Maid of Honor
BM: Bridesmaid or Best Man (use your context clues!)
GM: Groomsman
FG: Flower Girl
RB: Ring Bearer
FOB: Father of the Bride
MOB: Mother of the Bride
MIL: Mother In Law
FMIL: Future Mother In Law
DH: Dear Husband
FIL: Father in Law
FFIL: Future Father in Law
SIL: Sister in Law
FSIL: Future Sister in Law
BIL: Brother in Law
FBIL: Future Brother in Law

Edited to add: 
PWC:  Post Wedding Chop (When a woman cuts off a large chunk of her hair post-wedding)
TTD: Trash The Dress (A photo shoot after the wedding where you don't have to worry about messing your dress)
DOC: Day of Coordinator


some are probably more obvious than others, but hopefully this helps!  i will update as i think of and or discover more! are there any you notice are missing?

DIY- Bachelorette Paty Survival Kit

as maid of honor it was my responsibility to host a bachelorette party for my cousin.  always a generous hostess i wanted to create some sort of favor.  i saw this idea somewhere on the interwebs and decided to create my own version.

to start i went to target and found any little things i thought would be cute to include.  in the travel aisle i found tiny altoid tins and figured just in case any of the girls were single and wanted to play tonsil hockey they'd have a breath refresher.  (as i type this i realize that i definitely was the only single one- and i didn't make a kit for myself!)  i ventured towards the cosmetics section and bought two three packs of lip smackers (there were 5 girls attending the party).  next i went to find some emergen-c or other drink mix with electrolytes.   i found a target brand box of 10 individual mixes which meant i have 5 left over for myself!  i also bought a 24 count bottle of asprin.  when i assembled the boxes i made little paper pouches and put four (or two doses) of asprin in each.  at home i had some crest brush ups (those little things that slip on your fingers to freshen up your teeth by brushing?) and band-aids (i gave each girl 2) to help with any blisters after dancing in heels all night.

of course i needed something to put all these goodies in so i stopped by the local craft store and picked up a pack of five silver decorative chinese take out boxes. 

here's a picture of the boxes all stuffed:

after i folded the tops closed i decided i wanted to seal the boxes to make sure they stayed closed so using a sheet of sticker paper and a punch i made these:

i was being a little lazy so i hand wrote in pink felt marker "bachelorette party survival kit."

and here's the final product:

the girls said they loved them and i think they came out quite well.

i figured out the cost for each one and they came out to approximately $3.10!  so for a little more than $15 i had five kits.  technically i spent a little more than that because of over buying on asprin, having extra drink mixes, and having one extra lipsmacker.  i also saved a little money because i had some items at home.  i firmly believe that anyone could make a kit like this for under $5.00.

here's what i included in list form and a few other ideas i saw around the internet but ultimately chose not to include.

in my boxes:
-mini altoid tin
-electrolyte infused individual drink packet
-band-aids (2)
-crest brush-up (could use crest-wisps but they are more expensive)
-a lipsmacker
-asprin (2 doses)

other suggestions:
-condoms
-hand sanitizer or wipes
-hair tie (wish i'd included that- i forgot)

would you appreciate something like this?  do you have any other great ideas as to what to include?

kitchen/foodie themed bridal shower

my cousin and her fiance love to cook and eat and are not afraid of trying new foods.  so when it came to planning a bridal shower for her i decided to do a kitchen/foodie themed shower.  I found an invitation set at target that i could print on via my home computer on clearance for less than $10 for 50 invitations.  coming up with the invitation wording was a bit more difficult, but i started with a line i saw somewhere on the internet and created a poem:

spatulas, mixers, toasters, and more
let's fill mel's kitchen with gadgets galore!
we know jared sure loves to eat
so help melinda make him a treat.
and if you're stuck on what to get her
just remember, the more exotic the better.

stay tuned for details from the shower!